The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has directed its personnel to suspend further annual leave as preparations intensify for the 2027 general elections, warning that electoral misconduct, partisanship, negligence, absenteeism and financial impropriety will attract sanctions.
The Commission also announced new salary and welfare packages, increased funding for state offices, additional operational vehicles and technological improvements aimed at strengthening its capacity to conduct credible elections.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, disclosed these measures on Friday, November 6, 2026, during the North-Central Zonal Interactive Meeting with Staff and Readiness Assessment for the 2027 General Election, held in Lokoja, Kogi State.
According to a statement published through the Commission’s official X account, the directive suspending further annual leave forms part of efforts to improve workforce availability, operational discipline and institutional preparedness ahead of the elections.
Addressing senior officials and electoral personnel from the six North-Central states and the Federal Capital Territory, Amupitan said the approaching polls demanded heightened commitment from every member of the Commission.
He stressed that INEC personnel must demonstrate “heightened administrative discipline, operational efficiency and absolute commitment from every member of staff.”
The Chairman warned that the Commission would not tolerate conduct capable of undermining the credibility of the electoral process, directing Resident Electoral Commissioners and Administrative Secretaries to enforce strict attendance and accountability measures.
He specifically warned that “partisanship, negligence, financial impropriety and absenteeism would attract decisive sanctions.”
Amupitan maintained that electoral officials must uphold neutrality and professionalism in carrying out their responsibilities, stressing that public confidence in elections depends not only on technology but also on the conduct of personnel entrusted with administering the process.
Alongside the disciplinary measures, the INEC Chairman announced a package of workforce reforms aimed at improving staff welfare and addressing operational challenges.
He disclosed that the Commission had introduced the Consolidated Election Management Body Salary Structure (CEMBSS), which took effect on January 1, 2026, following its decision to move away from the conventional civil service salary structure.
According to him, arrangements for cash-backing the new salary structure were ongoing, while enhanced salary, hazard and field allowance packages had also been approved for personnel.
Amupitan explained that the reforms were intended to improve motivation, strengthen institutional capacity and provide better support for officials carrying out electoral duties across the country.
He further disclosed that INEC had approved a 150 per cent increase in monthly overhead allocations to its state offices, effective July 1, 2026.
The increase, he said, was intended to reduce financial and administrative difficulties affecting election preparations at state and local government levels.
On logistics, the Chairman announced that operational pick-up vehicles had been distributed to state and Local Government Area offices nationwide to improve mobility and the transportation of election materials.
He added that 20 Sport Utility Vehicles had been procured for Resident Electoral Commissioners, while Administrative Secretaries would also receive new vehicles.
Amupitan maintained that the additional funding, improved remuneration and logistical support would enable electoral officials to discharge their responsibilities more effectively and reduce operational challenges ahead of election day.
Turning to technological preparations, the INEC Chairman identified voter accreditation, electronic management of election results and the reliability of electoral equipment as critical areas requiring attention.
He disclosed that the Commission was configuring its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), including 57,000 newly procured devices, to ensure faster and more efficient voter verification and accreditation.
According to him, INEC was also auditing its electronic result management systems, including the eEC8A verification platform, to strengthen transparency in the transmission of polling-unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
He stressed that the credibility of the election would depend on the effective operation of the technology and strict compliance with established electoral procedures.
The Chairman also announced the activation of Printable Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and a digital PVC Location Portal designed to improve voter access to registration information and election-related services.
On the ongoing review of the voters’ register, Amupitan disclosed that the preliminary register had been published for public scrutiny, while the certified Register of Voters was scheduled for publication on December 15, 2026.
Addressing concerns over photographs appearing on the preliminary register, he explained that the information remained subject to verification before publication of the final register.
He maintained that the Commission was committed to ensuring the accuracy and credibility of voter information, stressing that administrative shortcomings could undermine public confidence even where modern electoral technology was available.
Amupitan also addressed security preparations, announcing a coordinated, intelligence-led approach under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).
He described the framework as the “ICCES Tentacle,” explaining that it would extend security coordination from the national level to Local Government Areas and Registration Area Centres.
According to him, the arrangement would focus on identifying potential electoral flashpoints, protecting election personnel and materials, and ensuring that voters could access polling units without intimidation.
The wider security framework involves the military, Nigeria Police Force, State Security Service (SSS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigerian Correctional Service and Federal Road Safety Corps.
He disclosed that INEC would deploy Electoral Risk Management tools to identify emerging security threats and seasonal risk factors ahead of the elections.
The Chairman warned that anyone who threatened, intimidated or harmed electoral officials, including ad hoc personnel, National Youth Service Corps members and permanent staff, would face the full weight of the law.
He also identified misinformation, fabricated media content and artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes as threats to the integrity of the electoral process.
According to him, transparent administration and efficient field operations remain among the most effective ways to counter false narratives capable of undermining public confidence in elections.
He warned that delayed opening of polling units, technical failures and poor conduct by electoral officials could create opportunities for misinformation and public distrust.
Amupitan therefore urged personnel to ensure that electoral procedures were followed strictly and that operational challenges were identified and addressed before election day.
The Lokoja meeting marked the conclusion of INEC’s nationwide zonal readiness assessment, following similar engagements in the South-West, North-West, South-East, North-East and South-South geopolitical zones.
The Chairman described the North-Central zone as strategically important to the national electoral process because of its geographical location, voter population and connections with other parts of the country.
He disclosed that the zone, comprising Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger and Plateau states, alongside the Federal Capital Territory, had a combined 15,448,869 registered voters.
According to figures presented at the meeting, Plateau State has 2,787,273 registered voters, Benue 2,777,727, Niger 2,698,344, Kogi 1,932,654, Nasarawa 1,899,244, Kwara 1,698,627 and the Federal Capital Territory 1,655,000.
Amupitan said the zonal assessments were intended to identify operational weaknesses before election day, ensure that challenges peculiar to individual states were reflected in national planning and prevent voters from being disenfranchised through administrative or logistical failures.
He disclosed that INEC had completed nine of the 14 major milestones in its statutory timetable for the 2027 general elections, adding that the remaining activities would require increased attention as the election dates approached.
The Chairman also recalled that the Commission had conducted governorship elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun states, Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections and 16 bye-elections under his administration.
He explained that those elections provided opportunities to test operational arrangements, identify weaknesses and improve the Commission’s readiness for the nationwide polls.
During the interactive meeting, directors from INEC’s national headquarters and representatives of state offices presented reports on their areas of responsibility.
The presentations covered voter education and publicity, voter registration, information and communication technology, human resources, electoral operations, security, training and stakeholder engagement.
In his welcome address, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Kogi State, Dr Alhaji Shehu L. Wahab, assured the Chairman that the state office was strengthening preparations for the elections despite additional responsibilities arising from the restoration of 12 previously suppressed State Constituencies.
Wahab disclosed that the Commission’s state office was undertaking internal readiness assessments, Electoral Risk Management activities, election monitoring and security coordination.
He added that awareness programmes for persons with disabilities were also being implemented to promote inclusive participation in the electoral process.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner said the state office was working closely with security agencies to address concerns about Kogi’s reputation as a violence-prone state during elections.
Amupitan’s engagement with electoral personnel followed a courtesy visit to the Kogi State Council of Traditional Rulers on Thursday, during which he sought the support of traditional institutions in promoting voter mobilisation, peaceful political participation and efforts to counter electoral misinformation.
The two-day engagement in Lokoja brought together National Commissioners, Resident Electoral Commissioners, Directors, Administrative Secretaries, Heads of Department, Electoral Officers and other personnel of the Commission.
Also speaking, INEC’s Director of Planning and Monitoring, Mrs Helen Ajayi, said the readiness assessment was designed to evaluate state-level preparedness, identify operational and logistical challenges, improve staff motivation and monitor the implementation of the Commission’s strategic plans.
She urged Electoral Officers and other field personnel to cooperate with assessment teams and work closely with the Planning and Monitoring Department to identify gaps and ensure that planned activities were implemented effectively.
The 2027 Presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, while the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will take place on February 6, 2027.
Amupitan maintained that the Commission’s preparations would continue to focus on personnel discipline, improved welfare, reliable technology, effective logistics, security coordination and strict compliance with electoral laws to ensure that Nigerians could exercise their voting rights in a credible and peaceful electoral process.
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